Beautiful photo captured by my roommate of some cherry blossom trees on campus.
04.09.2016
The weather has gotten much warmer here in Korea causing a great bloom of Korean spring flowers! Of their many beautiful spring flowers, the cherry blossoms are one of the most popular. This week was entirely dedicated to the bloom of cherry blossoms and other spring flowers. Many families, couples, and even friends come from all around Korea to celebrate this special occasion because cherry blossoms die fairly quick. There are a number of locations to go and see the cherry blossoms, but one of the most popular places to go view them is in Yeouido. Yeouido is a popular place to view the cherry blossoms because it has over 1,000 cherry blossom trees! Today, my roommate and I were able to celebrate this event with the help of our new Korean friend, Tak. {Thank you, Tak!}
Picture of the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival.
Picture of the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival.
We took the subway from Konkuk University to Yeouido, which was roughly a 30 minute commute. As soon as we exited the subway train, there was already a crowd of people heading the same direction as we were. Outside of the subway exit, there were a lot of food stalls that sold the typical Korean staples like ddeokbokki {Korean spicy rice cake} and odeng {fish cakes cooked in broth}.
Further down the road, our friend Tak bought us bbopki, which is a traditional Korean sweet made from melting sugar and baking soda. Bbopki is poured onto a metal sheet and then pressed with whatever shape you choose. {I chose a dolphin.} If you are able to break the candy without breaking the pressed shape, you can get another one free! {The same rule applies if you eat around the shape without breaking it.} I failed miserably {because I cracked my design with my first needle poke!}, but it was fun to watch the vendor make it!
After the bbopki, we explored the rest of the festival. There was so much going on during this event. Some of the events included watching performers in the streets or on stage, painting, writing a wish onto a piece of paper, and take photos. My roommate, Tak, and I all decided to write our wishes down on a piece of paper. We then tied the paper onto a long piece of yarn that was tied around two cherry blossom trees.
The event was quite crowded, but it was so amazing overall! I am very grateful to Tak for being able to take us to go and see the beautiful spring flowers, especially the cherry blossoms before they withered. It is definitely a must-see if you are in Korea during this time of year.
{Heart of Korea} 